In general, in a known packing line the transporting of blister packs, either singly or stacked internally of cardboard boxes and the like, is done by belt conveyors, variously reciprocally arranged to form different advancement directions, for example perpendicular to one another, destined to advance the blister packs in succession along a varied and determined path towards an exit station.
A particularly relevant problem in this technical sector relates to the need to guarantee a correct and predetermined reciprocal alignment among the various blister packs, including following an eventual change in their advancement direction along the transfer path towards the outlet station or a successive operating section of the packing line.
For example, a particularly frequent circumstance relates to the need, according to specific layout requirements, the space available, the constraint of maintaining predetermined environmental conditions (for example sterile packing environments) etc., for the packing line to include the presence of one or more conveyors for connecting the outlet section of a blister-packing machine with the inlet section of a boxing machine which is not aligned with or close to the previous machine.
In this case, the path which the blister packs, in outlet from the blister-packing machine, have to follow before reaching the inlet section of the packing machine can include various changes in direction according to the path imposed by the structure, development and number of the connecting conveyors.
The change in advancement direction of the blister packs during their transfer can determine a reciprocal and random de-alignment with respect to the preferred or predetermined one.
This circumstance constitutes a serious problem in a case in which the various blister packs arrive at the inlet of the boxing machine in an unsuitable configuration for correct and optimal functioning thereof.
A first method used to attempt to obviate the above drawback consists in using conveyors of the slat type, comprising a series of elements hinged to one another such as to be able to take on various reciprocal orientations and to enable the conveyor to follow a conveying path that also includes curved tracts. However it is often found that the packs, following changes of direction imposed thereon by the advancement path, especially as a consequence of the passage through curved tracts thereof, can be de-aligned in a random and de-articulated way.
A further method relates to the use of special conveyors, specially shaped and formed such as to constitute a curved element to be positioned in order to connect two straight consecutive tracts of the advancement path of the packs and exhibiting incident conveyor directions, for example perpendicular. In this case too it has been found that the packs, once they have transited above the shaped curved conveyor, do not stay in a single orientation.
Consequently, in both cases, it has been necessary to use, upstream of the boxing machine, special means or devices for restoring a single orientation of the packs, aligning them to the prefixed reference for a correct and suitable supply to the boxing machine.
Further, both the slat-type conveyors and the profiled conveyors tend to accumulate dust and dirt easily, making cleaning and other hygienic operations difficult; profiled conveyors are also rather noisy.